Hunter Salate scores two of his 14 points Tuesday night.
Photo by Robert Williams/FOCUS3 / 3

BATTLE LAKE -- Tyler Glines scored a game-high 22 points and spurred a 17-0 second half run to help Perham pull away from a feisty Battle Lake team 71-59 in boys basketball Tuesday evening.

Both teams went back and forth and up and down the court trading baskets and the lead throughout a first half that ended in a draw at 40 points apiece.

Perham trailed 51-49 with just over 11 minutes remaining in the game before going on an offensive tear scoring 17 straight points to take a 66-51 lead with five minutes on the clock.

Glines scored 10 of his 22 points during the stretch including back-to-back three-point plays at the 10-minute mark. The first was the hard way on a drive and a foul, followed by a three-point shot 36 seconds later.

The six-point swing was key in pushing the lead from 52-51 to 58-51 and Perham grabbed momentum and controlled the remainder of the game.

"I couldn't do it without my teammates," Glines said. "We knew they were going to come out and play hard and we had to match their intensity. We weren't doing that right away."

Battle Lake got off to a fast start thanks to sophomore post Nick Trosdahl who scored 12 of his 21 points in the first half.

Perham trailed for much of the first 18 minutes and made a late burst to tie the score at the break.

The second half continued the same trends until Glines blew the game open and Perham clamped down on defense allowing only 19 points to the Battlers in the latter frame.

"Coach told me to be a little more aggressive so I tried that out this game and it worked," said Glines.

Glines made a living driving the left baseline and scoring or threatening all night at the rim.

"They didn't really help much on the baseline and we noticed that. Coach said keep taking it until they stop you."

As the game wore on Perham was able to hold the ball for open looks leading to wide open shots from close to the rim. The Yellowjackets got to the hoop often and in the clear late in the game.

Hunter Salathe scored 14 points. Josh Nordick added 10 for Perham.

The win is the first in a trio of tough match-ups for Perham with the biggest game coming this Friday when they host Pelican Rapids.

"That's going to be a good one. It's going to be very exciting. With their game against Hawley we're feeling a little bit more confident. We want to come out and we really have to play that game. We have to be more ready than we were tonight."

Pelican Rapids suffered their first conference loss to Hawley 79-51 Monday leaving the Nuggets, Vikings and Yellowjackets atop the conference each with only one loss.

Robert is a Minnesota Newspaper Association award-winning Sports Editor at the Detroit Lakes Tribune. Williams worked prior as the Sports Editor in Perham for the Focus, a Forum Communications newspaper, from 2010-14.